National Title and Accolades

by Anna Katherine Clemmons

Matt Riley/UVA Media Relations

For track star Henry Wynne (Col ’17), this year has been all about breaking records. In February, Wynne set a UVA record in the 3,000-meter. On March 12, he won the NCAA’s Division I Men’s College Indoor Track and Field mile national championship in 4:06.63, leading UVA to a program-best eighth-place finish overall. Six days later, the Westport, Connecticut, native was named ACC Men’s Indoor Track Performer of the Year. In early April, he opened the outdoor season by breaking a 1983 University record in the 1,500-meter in 3:38.35.

While the accolades may continue, the national championship has stayed with him. “It was pretty unreal,” Wynne says. “Coming off of last year, I wouldn’t have thought I’d win a national title. The goals just started getting bigger and bigger.”

Last June, Wynne competed in his first NCAA Championships in the 1,500. Standing on the track among future Olympians, he says, inspired him. “I saw the potential for how exciting track and field can be,” Wynne says. “I committed myself to wanting to get to those meets—and performing at them.”